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Marine Electronics

MMT Group Buys EM2040D
Multibeam for SurveyingMMT Group (Västra Frölunda, Sweden) has purchased a Kongsberg (Kongsberg, Norway) EM2040D. A 0.4-by-0.7-degree, dual-head multibeam system has recently been installed on MMT's long-term charted multipurpose support vessel Stril Explorer.

The echosounder features dual swath per ping to maintain a high survey speed at maintained resolution, FM chirp to achieve a longer range capability, complete roll, pitch and yaw stabilization, and near-field focusing when transmitting and receiving.

The EM2040 will enable MMT to perform surveys that meet the IHO-S44 special order and fulfill the requirement for high-resolution pipeline inspection.

NOC Allows RSI to Sell
Its Probe Guard
The U.K. National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has signed a license deal with Rockland Scientific International (RSI), based in Victoria, Canada, giving RSI the rights to manufacture and sell a novel probe guard designed and tested by NOC engineers and scientists. The probe guard is designed to protect RSI's MicroRider turbulence sensor probes, particularly when deployed on ocean gliders, while minimizing flow disturbance around the sensor probes.

The prototype was subjected to comprehensive testing to see if the probe guard affected turbulence readings. Part of this comprehensive testing included field deployment on a research cruise.

Results showed the probe guard did not degrade turbulence readings, and NOC fully verified and approved the probe guard.

RSI is now manufacturing and selling the new probe guards, which are made from a lightweight material to minimize the impact on the balance and movement of gliders or AUVs.

Caterpillar Marine Ships 3500
Series to Power LNG BargeCaterpillar Marine (Hamburg, Germany) has made the first shipment of Cat 3500 series marine gas engines from its Lafayette, Indiana, manufacturing facility. Five Cat G3516 marine engines were selected to power the Becker Marine Systems (Hamburg) subsidiary, Hybrid Port Energy (Hamburg), LNG-Hybrid Barge, the world's first LNG-powered barge in the Port of Hamburg. The barge will provide clean and efficient shore power to cold ironing cruise ships and serve as a backup power provider for the local Hamburg electric power and heat grid.

The G3516 is a spark-ignited, gas engine specially designed to operate in commercial vessel applications. The units will be capable of providing up to 7.75 megawatts of electric power.

Electric Cable Ferry Sails
Successfully in Norway
The KF Hisaroy electric cable ferry has been sailing in Norway daily for six months, with flawless operation over the wintery seas. The ferry's propulsion power system consists of a complete rechargeable battery system from Electrovaya (Mississauga, Canada).

The 100-kilowatt-hour prototype battery system is based on Electrovaya's new-generation SuperPolymer 2.0 technology.

The battery electric ferry has the ability to save up to approximately 180,750 liters of fuel consumption over its expected lifetime. That has a potential to save about 500 tonnes of emissions, 480 tonnes of carbon dioxide, 9 tonnes of particulate matter and volatile organic compounds, 2 tonnes of carbon monoxide, and 2 tonnes of other type of emissions. The Electrovaya lithium-ion battery also eliminates all fuel exhaust.

According to a study by Zero, 'Mapping of the potential for battery operation of ferries in Norway,' 47 of a total of 125 ferry connections are relevant for battery operation now, with 34 relevant for battery operation in the future. The Norwegian maritime market is expected to be a key driver of battery electrification. By avoiding the use of fossil fuels and instead relying on Norway's hydroelectric power production, there will be a significant reduction of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions into the atmosphere. In addition, there will be no noise from the diesel engines and no carcinogens from diesel exhaust.

AVCS to be Available
on Pay-as-You-Sail BasisNAVTOR (Egersund, Norway) has reached an agreement with the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) to offer the ADMIRALTY Vector Chart Service (AVCS) to mariners on a pay-as-you-sail (PAYS) basis.

AVCS is the leading ENC service for ECDIS, offering the widest coverage, the company said. With more than 12,500 electronic navigational charts (ENCs), AVCS allows mariners to navigate an unparalleled number of international shipping routes. Delivering AVCS on PAYS will transform its accessibility to the market.

PAYS allows navigators to access the ENCs they need for planning purposes, levying charges only for the charts they actually use during voyages.

The NAVTOR PAYS with AVCS solution will be distributed to users on a preloaded NavStick USB device, which when inserted into a ship's ECDIS will instantly install the required AVCS coverage. The latest AVCS charts and updates can then be regularly retrieved using NAVTOR's online program NavSync, ensuring that all vessels are kept up to date easily.

Navtor said the majority of its customers now opt for a PAYS solution, with vessels such as ferries and liners that sail set routes usually signing up to a standard subscription model based on set geographical areas.

IMCO Buys NAUTIS Products
for ECDIS Model Course
A classroom of NAUTIS Desktop Trainers and a NAUTIS Instructor Station was purchased by the International Maritime College Oman (IMCO). The simulators allow IMCO to add certified ECDIS Model course 1.27 training to its curriculum. The classroom was delivered and installed by VSTEP (Rotterdam, Netherlands) engineers at the IMCO premises in Sohar, Oman.

IMCO purchased 12 NAUTIS Desktop trainer units and a NAUTIS Instructor Station to provide the complete range of ECDIS Model Course training for its students. To guarantee optimal realism in training, the Gulf of Oman ports of Duqm, Sultan Qaboos and Mina Al Fahl were all modeled and integrated into the simulators.

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